Maximizing Your Hearing Potential With Today's Technology

You will have life-changing results if you purchase the right hearing instruments and they are fitted by an expert.

Welcome to Hearing Aid Services of Hollywood, the full-service audiology and hearing aid practice that has been serving the greater Los Angeles area for over 70 years. When you browse our website, you'll find more than 40 articles I’ve written that provide up-to-date, in-depth information about hearing loss, hearing aids and audiology. These will help you understand what it will take to resolve your hearing problem and why thousands of Southern Californians agree that Hearing Aid Services of Hollywood is the right choice. If you are shopping for hearing instruments for the first time, I recommend you review our Hearing Aids section in the menu. Then learn more by browsing the remaining articles on the site.

Jeff Grama, M.A.

Audiologist, Clinical Director

My Pledge to You

Your life will change dramatically when you begin wearing your new hearing instruments. Because your devices will be correctly fitted and properly programmed, you will rapidly get accustomed to wearing them and find them easy to use. You will be amazed at how your hearing aids reopen the world of sound and restore pleasure to your life. Sooner than you might think, daily use of your instruments will be as routine as putting on a pair of glasses or placing your car keys in your pocket. And, chances are, most people won’t realize you’re wearing them!

Testimonials

"Jeff is without a doubt the most skilled audiologist… not only because of his expertise with selection of the device, but also because he is a specialist at repairing it. This is ESSENTIAL."

Joseph L.

Venice, CA

"It's clear that Jeff knows how to properly program digital aids, and that would include changing inappropriate or incomprehensible programming done by others."

Michael M.

Burbank, CA

"Now after a few days with the devices adjusted by Jeff, we can wholeheartedly say that he is the BEST at what he does. My relative can finally hear directional sounds in a balanced manner."

J. L

Los Angeles, CA

"Jeff takes time, lets you experiment with different aids, and doesn’t give up until you are completely satisfied. I have recommended him to at least 30 people and all came away with the greatest of experiences."

Nance L.

Santa Monica, CA

"Jeff is the ONLY audiologist who had me to test the hearing aid with loud noise and music directly in his office. Because not only does he want the best results from the hearing aid he recommends, but also because he cares about giving you the best possible hearing experience."

A Special Message to Our Veterans

All too often we take our blessings as Americans for granted. Our veterans are owed a debt of gratitude for putting their lives on the line. Without their efforts, we could not continue to enjoy the precious freedoms that the founding fathers laid out in the Constitution. Read More ...

Featured Newletters

The Over-the-Counter Hearing Aid Act of 2017

The Over-the-Counter Hearing Aid Act is bipartisan legislation proposed by Senators Warren, Grassley, Hassan and Isakson on March 20, 2017. The act directs the FDA to create a new classifcation for OTC hearing aids. Read More...

Is It Time to Upgrade Your Hearing Aids?

Over the last four decades, my patients have asked the question, “When is it time to upgrade my hearing aids?” My typical response has been that every ve to seven years was a good rule of thumb because product development moved at a constant, albeit slow, pace. Read More...

Oticon’s Latest Microchip

For as long as I have been an audiologist, hearing aids have relied on directional microphones to improve speech understanding in noisy environments. The microphones focus on the speech signal directly in front of the listener to increase intelligibility by decreasing interference caused by competing sounds from the rear. Read More...

Diabetes and Hearing Loss

As you know, diabetes is one of the most prevalent health problems today. An estimated 30 million people in the United States are afflicted with diabetes, while another 86 million are pre-diabetic.

Many physicians, however, are unaware that damage to the cochlea with subsequent sensorineural hearing loss and dizziness are the most common complications. The National Institutes of Health published a study in 2013 that concluded that diabetics have a 200% higher incidence of hearing loss than non-diabetic individuals. Additionally, the rate of hearing loss for pre-diabetic people is 30% higher than those who have normal blood glucose levels.

Unfortunately, all cochlear hearing losses are permanent with no surgical remedies. The progress of the hearing loss can be quite rapid if the disease goes untreated. Early diagnosis and medical treatment can dramatically slow down the cochlear degeneration. The American Diabetes Association recommends a yearly hearing evaluation for diabetic and pre-diabetic individuals, as well as those with a family history of diabetes.

Hearing Loss and Dementia

A study published in October 2015 showed that wearing hearing aids reduced the cognitive decline that accompanies hearing loss. I have copied a summary of the findings below:

Researchers compared the trajectory of cognitive decline among older adults who were using hearing aids and those who were not. The study found no difference in the rate of cognitive decline between a control group of people with no reported hearing loss and people with hearing loss who used hearing aids. By contrast, hearing loss was significantly associated with lower baseline scores ... on a well-recognized test of cognitive function, during the 25-year follow-up period, independent of age, sex and education.

Donald Schum, PhD, Vice President of Audiology and Professional Practice for Oticon, stated:

The study indicates that people with hearing loss who wear hearing aids have the same risk for age-related cognitive decline as people without hearing loss. But cognitive decline is accelerated for the people who have hearing loss and don’t use hearing aids. With this study, we are seeing for the first time evidence that hearing aids are a prevention against accelerated cognitive decline in later years.

The study’s findings show the benefit of using hearing aids to restore hearing ability late in life. Unfortunately, statistics reveal that most people wait, on average, seven years before they obtain hearing aids. Furthermore, seventy-five percent of older individuals with hearing loss who could benefit from hearing aids choose not to wear them. We now see that this decision could have a harmful impact on the cognitive functioning of this population as they advance in age.

Fortunately, if you are one of our patients, you are part of the twenty-five percent who took action to improve the quality of their lives by using hearing instruments. I think you should find this good news.

Anemia and Hearing Loss

A recent study published by researchers at Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine revealed that iron deficiency anemia (IDA) is associated with both sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) and mixed hearing loss (combined SNHL and conductive hearing loss). IDA is a common medical condition caused by a lack of iron in the body which leads to a reduced number of healthy red blood cells. Data from over 300,000 adult patients seen at a regional medical center was analyzed for levels of ferritin (a protein in body cells that stores iron) and hemoglobin (a protein in red blood cells that contains iron and carries oxygen). Information about each patient’s hearing was also gathered.

The study found that IDA patients had twice the rate of hearing loss when compared to non-anemic patients; however, the reason for the correlation was not identified. The authors speculated that IDA might be linked to hearing loss through an interruption of oxygen supplied by blood to the inner ear. A separate study found that IDA was associated with sudden SNHL, a condition often observed in people with vascular disease. Hearing loss could also be caused by a mechanism in which iron deficiency interferes with the production of myelin, a waxy substance that coats and protects nerve fibers. Damage to vulnerable fibers of the auditory nerve could lead to hearing loss. Future research will focus on the potential for reducing or minimizing hearing loss in patients with IDA through iron supplementation.

A Special Message to Our Veterans

All too often we take our blessings as Americans for granted. Our veterans are owed a debt of gratitude for putting their lives on the line. Without their efforts, we could not continue to enjoy the precious freedoms that the founding fathers laid out in the Constitution.

Soldiers are exposed to a tremendous amount of noise when on active duty, so hearing loss is not uncommon. After being discharged from the military, all veterans undergo a rigorous series of exams to determine if a hearing loss is present and, if the tests are positive, to evaluate its severity. I am contracted with a subsidiary of the Veterans Administration to help make these determinations. Those with diagnosed hearing loss attributed to their military service are eligible to receive high-quality hearing instruments through the VA Healthcare System.

In my practice, fitting of new hearing instruments involves an in-depth protocol that ensures that the devices meet the patient’s needs and expectations in a wide variety of listening situations. The average appointment is at least 60 minutes. Unfortunately, the time available for VA audiologists to fit and program veterans’ hearing instruments is limited by high patient demand. Many veterans have commented that they wished they could hear more clearly with their VA-issued hearing aids, but they often must wait up to six months for an appointment with an audiologist.

I frequently witness the frustration that veterans experience with the limited performance of their hearing aids, and it honestly breaks my heart. In 2013, I made it my unadvertised mission to provide fitting and programming, free of charge, for all veterans issued hearing aids through the VA system. That mission continues in 2017 and beyond. If you know veterans who wear hearing aids, but wish they could hear more clearly, please pass on our contact information. We feel this is the least we can do to thank them for their service to our country and to welcome them back home.